About Karben
We’ve changed a lot.
What matters hasn’t.
Karben grew from creative roots into a search-first marketing agency helping businesses get found, earn attention, and turn visibility into customers.
The way people search has changed. The services we provide have changed with it. What hasn’t changed is the standard we hold the work to: understand the business, do work that matters, and be accountable for the result.
Legacy Circle, Naperville
Our Philosophy
Karben wasn’t built from an agency playbook.
Karben didn’t start out as the company it is today.
Its roots go back to 2009, when founder Chad Addie launched Indstruktibl Clothing. In 2013 he started Bluprint Studios, a marketing and talent management company. Three years later, Bluprint became Karben Studios. Karben Marketing is the name the business carries now.
As the company changed, so did the work. Creative projects led into websites, websites led into digital marketing, and search kept moving closer to the center of how we helped clients grow.
Today Karben is a search-first agency focused on SEO, Local SEO, AI search, paid search and search-first web development.
2009
Indstruktibl Clothing
Chad Addie’s first company.
2013
Bluprint Studios
Marketing and talent management.
2016
Karben Studios
Bluprint Studios takes the Karben name.
Today
Karben Marketing
A search-first marketing agency.
Karben Today
Creative roots.
Search-first today.
The tools have changed. The objective hasn’t: understand how customers find a business, then make sure our clients are there when it matters.
John Robbins
Part of the Karben Story
Remembering John
John played an important role in building Karben into the company it is today. His work, relationships, and commitment to the business helped establish a foundation that continues to shape Karben. We’re proud to carry that legacy forward.
The People Behind Karben
Small team.
Deep experience.
Chad Addie
Founder
Chad Addie knew from a young age that he wanted to make a big impact on the world. He’s worked with UFC stars, professional models, international music stars, professional motocross/BMX racers, actors/actresses and Fortune 500 brands.
Justin Romano
Lead Web Designer
Justin specializes in mobile user interfaces and user experience (UI/UX) design as well as consumer market validation research, project management, brand and visual identity design, strategic marketing, sales, and lean operations management.
Carlos Castro
Marketing Specialist
Carlos specializes in AI workflow development and marketing automation. He builds the systems behind Karben’s fulfillment, sales intelligence, and lead nurturing, and brings hands-on experience in copywriting, funnel architecture, email marketing, lead generation, and web design.
Working With Karben
“
They are a top notch agency, go the extra mile for us, are extremely responsive to our needs, and over-deliver on what they promise.
John Sedej · Google review
You’ll know who you’re working with.
We’re a small team, so the people you meet are the people doing the work on your account.
We keep you in the loop.
Plain-language updates and real answers when you ask. It comes up in our reviews again and again.
The result matters more than the activity report.
We’d rather talk about calls, leads and customers than a list of tasks, and we’ll be straight with you about how long search takes to pay off.
The Record
The history and credentials behind the name.
For campaign results, the case studies show the work in detail.
Roots going back to 2009
Through Indstruktibl Clothing, Bluprint Studios and Karben Studios to Karben Marketing.
Google Ads Certified
Certified in Google Ads for the paid search side of the work.
DesignRush Accredited
Listed as an accredited agency on DesignRush.
5.0 rating across 17 Google reviews on Karben’s Business Profile.
Rooted in Chicagoland
Local enough to meet.
Built to compete beyond it.
Karben works with businesses across Chicago, Naperville, the western suburbs and the rest of Chicagoland, and with clients well beyond the area.
When it helps to sit down in person, we can meet at our Naperville location on Legacy Circle. Directions and contact details are on the contact page.
Looking for help in a specific market? Start with Chicago SEO or Naperville SEO.
Downtown Chicago
Let’s figure out where the opportunity is.
If you’re looking for an agency that thinks beyond rankings and focuses on how search turns into business, we’d like to hear what you’re working on.